Father's Day
by Dixie Dewdrop's Seven Brides
Summary: At nineteen, Adam McFadden learns what makes a father great.


Father's Day

Nineteen year old Adam McFadden slid back the half inch necessary to rest his shoulders and back against the hard wooden pew. Though the polished back possessed no cushion, sitting up ramrod straight against the planks actually provided a measure of comfort. He had spent three hours the day before repairing a quarter mile stretch of wooden fence on the ranch, and his muscles had not forgotten their ordeal.

They screamed.

Crane and Brian perched beside him, and Adam glanced discreetly to his right to assure himself Crane had obeyed him and put up the novel he had sneaked into church that morning.

Evidently the twelve year old had followed instructions because only an open hymnal covered his lap.

Brian caught the visual check and winked at Adam. Usually dressed in school or ranch attire, for Church Brian had selected navy blue slacks and a navy blue and powder blue striped button down shirt which highlighted his vibrant blue eyes.

Adam grinned a response to the wink and reminded himself how proud Crane's voracious reading actually made him.

In the front of the church Reverend Samuels spoke from his place beside the pulpit, his tone sincere and benevolent. "Now that June has arrived and summer is in full swing, we tend to look outside of our homes for what we appreciate, like a dip in the lake, or camping or grilling for a picnic. Yet right inside our houses live those people who work their hardest for us, and who care the most about us." As usual the congregation's younger children surrounded Reverend Samuels as he conducted the weekly lesson he tailored for the elementary school crowd.

Adam leaned a bit in the pew so that he could check if his three fidgeted. Evan, Daniel, and Ford listened to the pastor attentively, however, and Adam made a mental note to brag on the trio's rapt concentration after the service.

Little by little over the past months he had developed and honed an arsenal of discipline and behavioral strategies, positive reinforcement among them. Still, there was room for improvement when it came to disciplining the boys and he knew it. Despite his best intentions regarding discipline, Adam recognized that he would make mistakes because of his inexperience.

Reverend Samuels continued the lesson, "But today presents a welcome opportunity to remind ourselves of what's important or whom we find important. Right here all of you kids are healthy and pretty."

Daniel interjected, "Or handsome, Reverend Samuels. Some of us are handsome."

The audience burst into laughter and the amused pastor tousled Daniel's dark hair. "Thank you for the clarification, Son, and let me say you look exceptionally nice today."

That brought forth more smiles and chuckling and Adam grinned at Daniel's chutzpah. The eight year old never shirked the limelight, and generally did not have to work too hard to invite attention. Adam privately thought his little brother deserved the adulation. Daniel possessed almost swarthy good looks and had been blessed with an abundance of charm.

That particular morning Daniel had taken such particular care with his outfit he had forced Adam to issue several directives-then threats- for the child to hurry. When he finally presented himself for Adam's inspection he threw his arms wide and advised, "Don't waste your time on checking me, Adam. Admit you have a fine specimen in front of you."

"Specimen! Where in the world did you hear that?"

"Don't remember," Daniel responded impishly, then exposed the source by surreptitiously glancing at where Brian waited by the gate.

"Hmmm," Adam pursed his lips. "I have to agree with the fine specimen part." All three of the Itty Bitties had chosen khaki slacks for church, but Daniel had opted for his favorite shirt, a green and white checked button down. "Good job, Dan."

Daniel slammed the screen door open and didn't slow his pace until he vaulted into the vehicle.

The pastor's voice rose and interrupted Adam's musing over the morning. He jerked himself to sitting attentively upright and glanced around self-consciously. From his seat beside Daniel Ford waved shyly at his big brother, smiling enough to reveal the gap of a missing bottom tooth. Adam winked in response and tapped his finger to his lips to signal silence.

Ford turned his attention back to the preacher and the church lesson.

Reverend Samuels stepped back from the podium and toward the congregation. He regarded the children again. "So today across the globe people have set aside time to honor a special someone, their very special someones. Who wants to tell me what wonderful day today is?"

Evan's hand flew in the air and he called out the answer excitedly. "Father's Day. Today is Father's Day, Reverend Samuels. I know it 'cause it's on the calendar for Sunday." Evan wrinkled his nose. "This Sunday."

"Correct," Reverend Samuels confirmed. "Now who can tell me the qualities of what makes a good father?"

Several childish voices eagerly responded with a blast of parental adjectives.

Adam stretched his long legs out and under the pew in front of him and drifted into his memories again. His own father had managed to instill in his sons the inherent value of hard work along with a sense of pride and accomplishment in jobs well done. Mr. McFadden valued education, and a spiritual foundation, and taught his boys to think of themselves as a team. Yet at the same time, his dad encouraged each of his children to foster individual talents and dreams.

Daniel, for example, displayed an aptitude for music before he even got out of diapers, and his father nursed and nourished that talent. As his daddy hammered or repaired fencing he would encourage the little boy to create songs about the tools, or the wood, or even the work, and the child would comply. Even as a toddler hurrying after his father in the paddock Daniel was coaxed to sing along as his daddy taught him songs from his own long ago childhood.

The woman across the aisle dropped her pocketbook.

Adam straightened guiltily and tugged at his tie. What had he missed?

A quick assessment calmed him. At the pulpit the kids still called out words describing their dads.

Little Ford had turned his back to the congregation and stared at a huge shade tree visible through the vestry window. Adam followed his gaze and saw Ford had focused upon a bird perched near the end of a limb. At that distance the bird looked like a quail, but he couldn't be certain.

His father would have identified the bird instantly.

Immediately.

His sons knew Mr. McFadden had a knack when it came to the subject of the birds and the beasts.

Luckily, Crane had inherited his father's appreciation of animals, and the elder McFadden would patiently tutor his son on the intricacies of animal habitats and animal characteristics.

The little boy had mastered the lessons.

Crane spent a great deal of time studying and working with the ranch animals even after his father's death, and Adam felt certain Crane's veterinary knowhow would surpass his own within a year or two.

A sudden silence snapped Adam back into the present. Something had shifted in the church, within the sanctuary itself. The very atmosphere had undergone a transformation.

Once again Adam straightened hurriedly. He focused on the preacher for a clue.

Up front, Reverend Samuels regarded him with an expectant, thoughtful expression.

Adam licked his lips and surveyed fellow church attendees for a hint. Not certain what had transpired, he managed a small smile.

Finally, Reverend Samuels motioned in Adam's direction. "As I indicated a few moments ago, this Father's Day message differs from ones I have communicated in past years at the request of some important parishioners, who feel, and rightfully so, that I have heretofore presented too narrow a viewpoint concerning fatherhood."

Several members of the audience regarded one another in confusion and Adam sighed with relief. He was not the only one bewildered.

He could relax.

"In fact, one of the reasons I asked my young pupils here to describe traits of fatherhood was to show qualities appear to be inherent, or rather there are some qualities everyone agrees contribute to produce a good father." Reverend Samuels adjusted his glasses. "I mentioned I had received a personal request for this particular Father Day's service. It initiated from a family whose desire is to share their love and gratitude for a man they insist qualifies for Father of the Year every single day of the year."

Adam surreptitiously surveyed his fellow church parishioners in an attempt to decide which patron the pastor meant.

Reverend Samuels regarded the children fanned out beside him and abruptly changed the subject. "All right, time to head to the back. We will see you once you rejoin us after our church service concludes."

With a practiced scramble and chorus of goodbyes the children dissipated.

Adam turned to regard Crane and Brian, but discovered instead that an empty pew stretched beside him.

What in the world?

He jerked his gaze back to the front and discovered Crane shepherding Ford, Daniel, and Evan to a place just beside the pulpit. Why had Crane stopped the Itty Bitties from joining the other kids?

Before he could work out an answer the hall door opened. One of the nursery aides handed Guthrie off to Brian, who slipped the toddler onto his hip before joining the other boys by the pulpit.

Adam still found it difficult to process the scene.

Brian signaled the younger boys and they faced the front. Guthrie spied Adam then and instantly began to clamber and climb over Brian until Brian set him down onto the carpet. Once free, he extended his arms and hurried purposefully down the aisle to Adam, swaying slightly on his chubby legs. Adam gathered the toddler to him and kissed him softly on the head.

To Adam's surprise, Daniel's voice clarified the change of church plans. "A while ago my brothers and I started talking about Father's Day coming in not too long." He glanced at Brian, who nodded for him to continue. "And even when we know that our parents are in Heaven now, we needed to say something to Reverend Samuels." He paused abruptly and wiped at his eyes.

Sympathetic to his brother's distress, Crane threw an arm across Daniel's shoulders and tugged him against his own thin chest.

Brian cleared his throat. "Thank all of you for giving us this moment, and most especially Reverend Samuels for changing the schedule to accommodate us." Brian turned to acknowledge the pastor with a nod. "We talked to him about paying honor to someone who deserves our respect, love, and thanks."

Evan piped up, "It's our brother Adam. That's who we mean deserves the thanks. Our biggest brother."

The sincere, helpful clarification amused the congregation.

Evan's eyes widened at their grins and he clapped his small hand across his forehead. "Oh! I guess you figured that already."

"We told Reverend Samuels how much Adam loves us," Ford contributed, pointing toward a shocked Adam. "Our Adam." The little boy's brow wrinkled and he popped his hand over his mouth a second before apologizing, "Oops, sorry. I know better than to point at somebody."

Once again the congregation chuckled and several congregants swiveled to direct their smiles at Adam.

Brian took over the lead. "All of you witnessed the aftermath of… the aftermath…." Brian's voice softened and he coughed to regain control. "You watched as instead of allowing our family to disintegrate our brother Adam committed himself to re-making us, re-creating us into a new, solid version of family, of kith and kin. He grabbed the reins not only to guide our family, but also to operate our ranch." Brian's voice caught again and he paused several seconds until he regained control. "Adam shelved his college dreams and all those dreams he had harbored and worked toward for years. Fruition of his dreams never included supporting six younger brothers, I assure you." Brian paused again. "Adam did, though, and once he decided to uphold his family first he never looked back and what he could have had."

Brian stepped down from the pulpit area to address a shocked Adam directly. "Last year we stumbled through our first Mother's Day, then our first Father's Day without Mama and Daddy. We focused on simply making it through the hours and pain. We confronted emotional reminders every day last year that they are gone and they will never return to us. This year the kids and I conferred long before Mother's Day even appeared and we decided that we wanted to honor the man who works as our parent twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, every single month of the year." Brian turned back and nodded at his younger siblings before facing Adam again. "You mean everything to us, Adam. Thank you for shouldering the responsibility of rearing our family, for running the ranch…."

Crane interrupted, "…and for all of the hours you spend helping us with school work so that we have the opportunity to go to college, even if your chance has gone."

"For letting us sleep with you in your bed when we get scared," Evan added, cramming his hands into the pockets of his khaki slacks.

Ford waved shyly at his brother. "Thank you for taking care of us when we get sick, and for always kissing us good night and for telling us you love us."

"And Adam, even when we act really bad and you punish us you always forgive us," Daniel contributed.

Crane tilted his head. "You are the hardest working man in Murphys, every day, and you never get a break. Ever. You never get a day off even when we do."

"So," Brian concluded, "we wanted to honor you today in front of our church and remind you that we love and respect you, Brother."

"We didn't have any money for a real present," Crane explained, blushing slightly at the admission, "but we asked Reverend Samuels for permission to tell you today how much you matter to us, and how blessed we are to have you in our lives."

Ford concluded, "We love you, and that is what we needed to say. And Adam, Happy Father's Day."

Silence filled the next moments as Adam struggled to rein in his emotions, to grab control before he burst into tears in the middle of the church.

In his lap an entertained Guthrie played happily with the keys Adam had provided to pacify him.

And in the front of the church his other five brothers regarded him with faces reflecting their love, respect, and gratitude.

Adam rose to his feet and slid Guthrie to his hip before moving into the aisle. What could he say? So many emotions and thoughts raced through him that they threatened to overwhelm him. Adam's heart filled. His brothers stood before him, united at the front of the church in a mission planned to demonstrate their love for him.

Their brother.

The man they considered now as much a father as he was a brother.

Finally, Adam managed to respond to the tribute with a heartfelt "Thank you, and I love you more than you can imagine," before emotion overcame him.

Adam extended his hand and motioned his brothers.

Five familiar bodies lost no time in obeying and slammed into him. Adam wrapped his arms around them to gather them close.

Adam closed his eyes and breathed deeply, the words from the pulpit swirling in his head.

All of the emotions he felt as a brother, as a parent, flooded through him and confirmed for him that he had chosen his destiny wisely.

Guthrie reached up with tiny fingers and tapped Adam's mouth. "Happy Faders Day."


End file.
